The highest-profile series of the four conference semifinals in the MLS Cup playoffs comes to us from the No. 2 vs. No. 3 series in the Western Conference.
Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy field a lineup full of stars in almost every match, and Saturday's first leg at Rio Tinto Stadium will be no different.
The obvious spotlight will shine on Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane, Kyle Beckerman and Nick Rimando, but each of the 22 starters are deserving of high praise when at their respective bests.
Here is a look at the six key issues that will shape Saturday's star-studded match in Utah. Begin Slideshow

There will be a new MLS Cup champion in 2014.
The New York Red Bulls' thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over defending champion Sporting Kansas City wrapped up the knockout round and trimmed the remaining field down to eight clubs.
If the conference semifinals produce similar drama, we are in store for a special tournament. Let's take a look at when to catch all the action.
Schedule
Note: Schedule courtesy of MLSSoccer.com
Western Conference Predictions: Seattle Sounders and L.A. Galaxy
The Seattle Sounders and L.A. Galaxy have not only been the class of the West, but the class of the entire MLS.
En route to their first Supporters' Shield in a very brief-yet-successful MLS history, Sigi Schmid's squad lost two in a row just twice all season and finished with 64 points. Only the 2011 Galaxy and 2012 San Jose Earthquakes have scored more since the move to 34 games in a campaign.
While the Sounders' defense—especially at the start of matches—has been shaky, it's difficult to bet against the multitude of attacking options.
The combination of Clint Dempsey and MVP candidate Obafemi Martins is especially dangerous. With Dempsey's mesmerizing dribbling and Martins strength and speed off the ball, they are a terror to stop when working well together.
DeAndre Yedlin, ...

The latest chapter in the storied rivalry between the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United will see the two sides collide in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The last time the Atlantic Cup rivals played each other in the postseason was 2012, when the Black and Red won a famous, snow-infused series 2-1 on aggregate.
Snow is not in the forecast for Sunday's first leg at Red Bull Arena, but a spirited affair between two of the oldest clubs in the league is in the cards.
Here is a look at the key issues that will shape Sunday's match at the home of the Red Bulls.Begin Slideshow

The New York Red Bulls came from behind to win 2-1 at home against Sporting Kansas City in the Eastern Conference knockout round on Thursday night.
Dom Dwyer scored the opening goal before Bradley Wright-Phillips completed a brace to clinch the victory for the Red Bulls. New York will face first-seed D.C. United in the conference semifinals.
Here are five things we learned from Thursday's match at Red Bull Arena.Begin Slideshow

In the space of roughly 13 minutes, the New York Red Bulls went from the outhouse to the penthouse, clawing back from a 1-0 deficit to pick up a 2-1 win over reigning MLS Cup champions, Sporting Kansas City. The loss eliminated Sporting K.C. from the 2014 MLS Cup.
When things began looking bleak for New York, Bradley Wright-Phillips atoned for an earlier miss, poking home the equalizer past Eric Kronberg in the 77th minute. Thierry Henry did well to thread the assist through the legs of Sporting center back Aurelien Collin.
MLSSoccer.com's Matthew Doyle felt that right back has been an area of concern for Sporting K.C. since Chance Myers' injury, and it came back to bite them in a big way there:
The match looked destined for extra time until Wright-Phillips delivered the winner in the 90th minute:
Both the goal and the cross leading to the goal looked somewhat accidental, with Ambroise Oyongo hitting his cross poorly and Wright-Phillips looking to have mistimed his header, only for the ball to bounce in the back of the net.
Trevor Hayward of the North American Soccer Network didn't care about style points—a goal is a goal:
That was enough to secure the victory.
Before the match, ...

Major League Soccer announced its plan to add a second franchise in the Los Angeles area with the formation of the Los Angeles Football Club.
The team's official site states the current plan is to begin playing as part of the 2017 season. Supporters will play a large role in determining the club's direction, highlighted at the outset by helping come up with the name, logo and kits:
With your help, over the next two years, we'll build the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC). A world class MLS franchise for the fans, and for Greater Los Angeles. As an ownership group and stewards of American soccer, we will build a world-class venue and a first-class team.
The club also sent out its first tweet:
Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times notes LAFC is just the placeholder name for now:
That said, Los Angeles FC already has a star-studded leadership group in place.
Among those listed as owners are former NBA superstar and current Los Angeles Dodgers owner Magic Johnson, women's soccer pioneer Mia Hamm Garciaparra, her husband and former MLB star Nomar Garciaparra and Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan.
Johnson talked about his excitement on Twitter:
In terms of other titles beyond owner, Henry Nguyen is the ...

The first of four two-legged conference semifinals in the Major League Soccer playoffs will get underway at Crew Stadium Saturday afternoon, as Columbus hosts New England.
The two Eastern Conference squads put together terrific ends to their respective seasons, and there is a strong case to be made that these are the two best teams in the Eastern Conference.
If the last four regular-season matches between the two clubs are any indicator as to how this series will end up, we are in for a close battle to determine one of the two finalists in the East.
Here is a look at the key issues that will shape Saturday's first leg in Ohio. Begin Slideshow

FC Dallas advanced to the Western Conference semifinals after a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps at Toyota Park on Wednesday night, setting up a meeting with the Seattle Sounders in the next round.
Tesho Akindele opened the scoring and Erik Hurtado equalized in the second half, but with less than 10 minutes left, Kendall Waston conceded a penalty where he was adjudged to have committed a handball in the box. Michel converted from the spot to clinch the win for Dallas.
Here are five things that we learned from the Western Conference knockout round.Begin Slideshow

The Vancouver Whitecaps' stay in the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs is over a mere 90 minutes after it began, with FC Dallas winning the Western Conference knockout-round fixture, 2-1, on Wednesday night in Frisco, Texas.
The match looked destined for extra time until referee Mark Geiger blew his whistle and pointed to the spot in the 82nd minute for a handball on Vancouver center back Kendall Waston. Nobody will argue with the fact that the ball hit Waston's arm, but many took exception to Geiger's decision to award the penalty.
Opta's Ben Jata felt that Waston's arm was in a natural position, thus it was a ball-to-hand situation rather than hand-to-ball:
MLSSoccer.com's Dan Itel couldn't believe the 26-year-old's luck, considering he had played well for so much of the match:
Regardless of the dissenting opinion, Geiger's call was final, and FC Dallas midfielder Michel drove home the penalty in the 84th minute to hand his team a place in the next round:
For FC Dallas, this run to the MLS Cup Playoffs is a chance to undo years of disappointment. After losing to the Colorado Rapids in the 2010 MLS Cup Final, they fell to the New York Red Bulls in the 2011 wild-card game ...

Just four days after playing each other in their last regular-season match, the New York Red Bulls and Sporting Kansas City will square off on Thursday at Red Bull Arena in the Eastern Conference knockout round.
The winner of the game will face first-seed D.C. United in the Eastern Conference semifinals. There are several storylines entering this match, which will be examined in this slideshow.
Here are the keys to the Eastern Conference knockout round.Begin Slideshow